Double Trouble
by sonotsxyblonde
Summary: my 1st fanfic so please tell me what you think, Alex is teamed with a female agent to take down one of the biggest drug suppliers in England. lots of action,romance,twists and emos very complicated plot so bear with me it may take a while. Enjoy!
1. Cassie

Double trouble

**Double trouble **

_**Introduction:**_

_**Special agent Profile:**_

_**Name:**_

Cassie James

_**Gender:**_

_Female._

_**Height:**_

_5 foot 10_

_**Build:**_

Tall, relatively thin but strong. Dress size 10

_**Hair/eye/skin colour:**_

Blonde, blue green eyes quite tanned all year round (Mediterranean blonde)

_**Skills:**_

Actress, very good at gaining trust. Uses her body to win over her targets. Skilled martial artist. Fluent in French, Spanish, Russian, Italian, Portuguese and German.

_**Age:**_

16 years and 6 months (slight legal problems with her mission plans has now been lifted as she is now of age.)

_**Experience:**_

Several missions involving targets such as drugs, human trafficking, and contract killers.

_**Family history:**_

_Both her parents worked for MI6. Little over a year ago they were killed in a car accident with a drunk lorry driver. Cassie was in the back seat with her then 17-year-old brother (died in a coma 2 and a half weeks later, she had to make the decision on her own as she has no surviving family) at the time. It was her birthday and late at night. Ever since she has been chlostrophobic and has a fear of being blind. (See psychological condition) _

_**Psychological condition:**_

A normal, happy childhood, but after her parents death she became incredibly depressed and suicidal. She has several scars on her body from this period. She was trapped in the back seat of her car for over 3 hours on her birthday (See above) and this has resulted in minor claustrophobia. She hates not being able to see and will not travel by car in the dark with out night vision goggles.

Weapons training: Advanced knife handling/defense. Skilled in range of weapons used in martial arts as well.

_**Progress at school: **_

Excellent. Despite emotional breakdown at 15 she is incredibly bright and popular. She wants to leave MI6 and study medicine.

**Current status:**

Available.

_**Chapter one **_

_**Cassie.**_

" _Alex!" The agitated voice brought Alex sharply back from his biology homework, " Alex will you come down? I've been calling for ages!" Glad of the excuse to leave the desk Alex got up and pushed his fair hair back from his thoughtful dark eyes. Quickly he crossed the room and stepped out onto the landing. He did a double take as he nearly always did now at the sight of himself in the mirror across the hall. Despite everyone telling him so, he couldn't get over how much he looked like the father he'd never known._

_Alex was 16 now nearly 17, after years of karate and various other sports he was strong and well built. He also had the dark eyes of his parents, very unusual in one so fair. Just in time he realized he hadn't put a shirt on after the shower, and doubled back into his room. Just as Jack called again, he pulled on a heavy metal T-shirt and sprinted down the stairs and into the kitchen. Here he stopped short once again. For instead of just Jack at the table, there was the unwelcome figure of Mrs. Jones. _

_Mrs. Jones was not an unusual or striking women, she had the sort of face you forgot as soon as you looked away, this teamed with the nondescript dark bob of hair and tweed suit made you want to scream "banker" at her. In fact this was her cover story. Despite the boring appearance, Mrs. Jones worked for M16._

_" Hello Alex" she said smiling, " How lovely to see you again." _

_" What do you want with me now?" he snapped, skipping to the obvious point of the meeting. This wasn't a cheerful get-together. They needed him again!_

"Mr. Crawley will be down in a minute." The blonde secretary said with a smile in Alex's direction.

"_Great", he thought as he slumped back in one of the leather armchairs situated in the foyer of the Royal and General. " They drag me away from everything, and when I get here they're not even ready for me!" Just as he thought this the lift doors oppersite him slid open to reveal a tall man in a polyester suit. Mr. Crawley. _

_" Alex" the man said, as he walked towards him extending his hand. " How good to see you again." _

_Crawley led Alex into the lift and up to the new penthouse section. Alex had heard about all the plans for this state of the art mission planning room but had never actually seen it. It was worth the wait._

_The open plan area was gigantic! There was state of the art computing equipment everywhere! Along the furthest wall was the largest plasma screen T.V he had ever seen. In front where several comfy chairs and a coffee table set with drinks and snacks. Every available space was full of monitors, hard drives and goodness knows what else._

_Alan Blunt appeared from the shadows and walked towards him, talking softly to Mrs. Jones. Alex got the impression, they where unsure about something. However as soon as they come within earshot, they changed the subject._

_Alan Blunt was a pale, thin man, with graying hair and a voice like dry paper. He followed the dress code of everyone else in the room and was in an ordinary business suit. The only vaguely interesting features about him were his large cold grey eyes._

_After the pleasantries, they sat down and Mrs. Jones passed Alan a folder. While he opened it and examined the contents, she turned the T.V on with a small remote. They seemed to be waiting for something. Finally Mrs. Jones began to speak,_

_" Right then Alex." She begun. " I'm sure you are wondering why we have brought you here yet again." She paused, but Alex knew well enough that she didn't want an answer. " As you have proberly realized, we need your help again." Alex stifled a groan. " However this time you will not be on your own." Alex's head shot up, and Mrs. Jones started speaking faster." You will be working under cover with an agent your own age, Jack and one of our top agents that will pose as Jack's new boyfriend and the father of your younger sister Cassie." _

" _Did someone say my name?" said a laughing voice from the lifts. " Sorry I'm late, the traffic is awful!"_


	2. The Mission

_Alex turned in his chair to see the owner of this new voice. Over by the lifts was a tall, slender girl. Piecing together what Mrs. Jones had just said, Alex guessed she was about 16. She didn't look it! She was gorgeous, with blonde curls, blue eyes and a figure that should have been on the catwalk, not in the offices of M16. Though she was simply dressed in black skinnys and a huge Bullet for my valentine T-shirt. Emo then he thought. _

_ She caught him looking at her and he blushed, averting his gaze to the monitor on his left. Younger sister, were they mad? No one would ever fall for it, and more to the point, how could he survive in the same house as her? He was embarrassed at how obvious his feelings must be and looked up to meet her gaze._

_Mrs. Jones began to speak,_

" _Alex, this is Cassie. Cassie, Alex. Now unfortunately we have no time for you to get to know each other. You must move into position tonight! Alex, Jack is packing for you and Cassie I believe you are already to go, excluding the clothes we are providing you with?" she paused long enough for Cassie to nod then turned to Alan and held out her hand for the remote. He gave it to her and she began the show._

_The screen showed a family photo. A foreign looking women (French, thought Alex) two men (Brothers) and two young boys of about 6 and 7(also brothers)_

" _These are the targets of you mission, The Thompson family. This photo was taken about ten years ago when their mother Rachel was still alive. She was a French actress before she married Martin ("Ha" thought Alex, knew she was French) the man on the left. Because of her heritage, both the boys speak fluent French and use it to speak un interpreted. The boy on the right will be your target Alex as he is the oldest of the pair. He's called Tom; he is 18, whereas his brother Josh is a year younger. Cassie, he will be your target." _

_She pressed another button on the remote and the picture changed. It showed a poster advertising Jeans, Alex thought there must be some mistake, the picture had nothing to do with their mission. It showed two teenagers wearing the brand of jeans and open white shirts to show muscular chests, obviously trying to impress both men and women Alex thought. The boys ere obviously Emo, with the long, dark Emo fringes. Then he noticed the eyes of the youngest boy, bright piercing blue. Just like in the picture he had just seen. _

_The boys were older, about 16/17 now, but it was definitely them. Tom and Josh Thompson._

_The screen changed again showing the most recent photo MI6 had of the boys. It was taken from CCTV footage from a nightclub in London._

" _God their fit!" said Cassie under her breath. Mrs. Jones smiled. _

" _Glad you approve. It will be the usual mission plan for you Cassie, gain confidence, get information and take them down as usual."_

"_Sorry to but in" said Alex, not sorry at all. " But why are you interested in them any way! What have they done? You still haven't said."_

" _I was getting to that if you'll let me!" said Mrs. Jones in her business voice. The Thompsons are loaded. Mansions all over the world, sports cars, luxury spas in their basements and enough house staff to keep most emperors happy. However, although the brothers Martin and Kyle run a good family transport business,"_

" _You don't believe it can generate the amount of income, right?" Alex butted in. Mrs. Jones nodded. She flipped to a picture of the two brothers (Martin and Kyle) they were shaking hands with a huge dude, shaved head, tattoo's and a dark suit, your cliché gangster._

" _This is a regular visitor to the family home in west London. We can't place him exactly. He has no record but from what we can gather he is one of the drug barons of the East End. We believe the adults are mixed up in the dealing of masses of illegal drugs." She paused for effect. " We are going to attack from three angles. You two and the agent posing as your new father. You two will infiltrate the kids and our man will buy into the family business, shares and that sort of thing. Any questions?"_

" _How far do we go to get info?" asked Cassie. With a confidential smile. Mrs. Jones returned the smile._

" _That is up to you, just keep safe and protected." _

" _What gadgets do we get and why do we need to go into position tonight?"_

" _You'll go and meet up with Smithers in a moment. The boys are gambling tonight at one of the biggest clubs in London. What a perfect chance to meet, don't you agree?"_

_Alex didn't bother to argue. He stood up and headed to the lifts. _

" _Is Smithers in his office?" He asked. He wanted to get away from the bright blue eyes of the 16-year-old Emo. They were creeping him out." _

" _Yes and no. He is in his office but it's no longer where you knew. He is in the lab next door."_


	3. Gadgets

" _Place your hand on the scanner and stand in the circle. The various scanners will let you in in a moment. Same for you Cassie." Said Mrs. Jones in a rather smug voice. She was happy to have caught Alex out and prove they were still one step ahead._

_He did as he was told and the doors spun to reveal a high tech lab, with mechanisms, chemicals, computers and anything else vaguely scientific you could think of. At the far end was a very fat man at a desk covered with papers._

" _Alex, old boy! Good to see you again." The____fat man stood up, squeezed out from behind the desk. Once he was free he lumbered forward to greet him. " How are you old chap? Still keeping up with the martial arts?" Alex nodded but there was no point. Smithers was staring straight past him, toward the door. _

" _Cassie James! My god you're getting prettier by the day!" then his tone changed. His voice lost its joking edge. Cassie was staring at a memorial on the far wall. Pictures of agents and workers who had lost their lives. Alex saw with a jolt his father and uncle were smiling out at him from behind the glass. But it wasn't them that were bothering Cassie. She had reached out a hand and touched the glass. She was staring at a photo of a family. Smiling parents and a pretty, blonde girl of about 13 with an older brother of about Cassie's age. Alex recognized the smiling girl and realized suddenly that they had been her family. _

" How are you darling?" Smithers asked. He had gone over to her and taken her hands. Alex thought it was just a friendly gesture, until he saw what Smithers was doing, examining her wrists. They were covered in scars. Slashes across her veins, some deep, others shallow. It took him a moment to realize that most were old and healing, however there were a few fresh scabs and even a wound that had not yet begun to heal. This confident, gorgeous girl was hurting more than he was, more than he ever had. Cassie smiled wiped her eyes and hugged Smithers. Then she broke the silence with a light laugh.

" _I'm ok honest. It was just a bit of a shock that's all." Smithers glared at her wrists, " I fell over in the bath room, caught my arm on a sharp tile." He didn't buy it, Alex could tell, but he let it drop. "They've only been gone little over a year…anyway, what have you got for me this time?" Smithers grinned and signaled for them to follow him to the end workbench._

" _Obviously we have the usual," he said as he passed both of them a mobile, I-pod and laptop each. " All three have a direct link with us. See this mike on the side of them all. Just speak and someone will be listening. They all have a tracking device and radar too."_

_Without a word Smithers passed Cassie a pair of sunglasses and a box of pills. " They can see in pitch black for up to 1500 meters and these babies play tricks on the mind so spaces seem bigger than they actually are."_

" _What like magic mushrooms?" Cassie asked with a grin._

" _No" Smithers smiled back. Then he turned a reached behind him. He reappeared with 2 slim files. " Background on both the boys" he said before they could ask. " Just basic stuff, likes dislikes, habits, personalities, favorite music and so. He handed the folder labeled Tom to Cassie and the Josh folder to Alex. They smiled and swapped. Smithers went pale._

" _Are you alright?" asked Alex. _

" _Yes, I'm fine." He took a deep breath and controlled himself. "Right then you two. Can I leave you here for a moment to read through the files? I have to check on something quickly and then I can finish with all your equipment." Without waiting for an answer he lumbered off towards the office section of the penthouse that Alex and Cassie had just left._

_Alex stared after him a little bit perplexed. Why had he left in such a hurry? Surely he can't have been that bothered about the fact he got the targets mixed up! He shot Cassie a glance then. She had sprawled her self across Smithers desk and was reading the file intently. Geez he was gorgeous! Suddenly she looked up and caught his eye._

" _You know something, there is no point whatsoever of a new I-pod for me. All his favorite songs are on mine." She laughed and Alex smiled. _

" _So you're an Emo as well then?" he asked, not really surprised. After all he had just seen the state of her wrists._

" _Not really any more, I used to be." She smiled her sad smile and held up her wrists for him to see. " But I grew out of the suicidal stage, I love the music though. Kill Hannah, MCR, Linkin Park, Simple plan, Evanescence, Lost prophets, fall out boy and so on. I don't know what it is but I never really got into RnB and that kinda thing. I guess I was always a type of grunger. What about you?"_

_The question took Alex by surprise. He didn't really have a style. He wore his hair long and liked heavy metal, but he also liked trakies and Rap. _

" _I don't really have my own style, I wear what I want and listen to what ever is on." Cassie smiled. _

" _Good for you."_

_As she slipped back into her reading Alex slipped to the door and listened. He could her Smithers and Mrs. Jones arguing on the other side…_


	4. Trouble at sea

"_You assured me she would work with Tom; he is more stable and has no history of self harm. How can you do this to her? Are you insane or just cold hearted?"_

_Mrs. Jones answered then, her usually calm, boring voice raised and rather hysterical. _

"_What are you on about? What am I doing wrong? They are the perfect match both upset about the loss of family and both experimenting or have experimented with ways to get over the grief."_

"_I don't believe you! She has just finished counseling, and you want to pair her up with a suicidal maniac who will properbly convince her to start cutting again or that death is a glorious way forward. Dear God do you have no compassion for the girl?"_

"_I object, I care for Cassie immensely. Perhaps you care too much and it is clouding your judgment. She is strong, brave and is very, very capable. Maybe this is a way forward for her, she must cross this bridge to get on with her life."_

"_I don't believe you! Fine you have her injuries/death on your conscience!"_

_Alex heard footsteps and almost too late he realized Smithers was returning and ran toward the desk._

_****_

_Almost too late! Smithers flew through the door in a fury, Alex was convinced her was going to start throwing lab equipment around and started to look for a place to hide safely. He was saved from his rather worrying predicament by another figure entering the room. _

_As he turned to glance at the man who had entered, Cassie raced past him and hugged the man tightly._

"_Steven, you never said you were working on the mission, are you our new daddy?"_

_The big man laughed and shook his blonde head as he hugged the girl. Alex could tell instantly that there was a long history between the two. Not a sexual history though, more of a father and daughter friendship. At least some of us are convincing he thought with a laugh. It might take a lot to convince someone Cassie was his sister, but there would be little doubt that this man could pretend to be her father, and more to the point convince everybody else of that fact._


	5. Table for two please

"_Now then," began Smithers, who appeared to have over come his frustration at least for the time being. "Tonight you are supposed to spy on your targets before you start their school. Even if you learn nothing, the experience can still be a good conversation starter and ice breaker when you begin to gain their confidence."_

"_What?" interrupted Cassie, "Like, Hey? Weren't you that girl following me round Sainsbury's the other day? Want to join me for lunch?" Alex tried hard to suppress a grin, she did have a point, he would stay well clear of any one who had seemed to follow him. Luckily Smithers saw the joke and smiled. _

"_Yes and no." he said. "As I'm sure you were told earlier, the Thompson boy's are out in a club in London. You are going to the Club and you are going to have a good time, maybe start a conversation or buy them a drink," Here Cassie interrupted again._

"_Don't you mean get them to buy me a drink?" Smithers wisely chose to ignore this comment and carried on. _

"_You have a couple of choices we need you to make before you leave. The first is, are you going to know each other? The second is are you members of the public or do you want to work there for the evening," _

_Cassie looked thoughtful for a moment and then asked the name of the club, when she discovered it was the " Alley Cat" she smiled and decided to work there for the evening. Then all eyes turned to Alex,_

" _I think we had better know each other, after all when we start their school they will find out we're living in the same house and are supposed to be related." He said slowly. Steven spoke up this time. _

" _Not related exactly" He paused and then continued, looking at the floor and away from the teenagers inquiring eyes. "The story is that Jack is Alex's mum and I'm Cassie's father. We've been dating for a while and decide to move in together and buy the large house a few streets away from one of the Thompson's town houses, our reasoning being, with two teenagers, we needed more space and the location suited us. You are not related,"_

" _That's ok then," said Cassie relaxing. Smithers looked at her questioningly and she continued. " It's just I'm not sure I want to have to pretend I have a brother again. At least not for a while." She smiled again and looked towards picture of her family again. Steven put an arm around her and changed the subject back to the night's plan. _

_In the end it was decided that both Cassie and Alex would arrive in the uniform of the waiters and waitresses but if the opportunity arose they could loose the uniform and become members of the public._

_They were ready. All they needed to do now was wait for the evening to arrive, and the mission would begin. _


	6. Sex,Drugs and a lot of blood

_While this conversation was happening in London, a tall thin boy of 16 pushed his dark hair out of his eyes and headed up the drive to the biggest town house in Colchester. He rang on the doorbell and the hired help opened the door. She let him in without question; he was a very regular visitor to the house and motioned for him to head up the grand stair case to the bedrooms upstairs._

_As he climbed the stairs he was aware of the different sounds coming from each of the rooms. From one of the various studies, there was the sound of typing, from another he could hear that there was a shouted phone conversation in progress, but he didn't dare get close enough to hear the words. _

_Suddenly a door to his left opened and a very scruffy looking Tom opened the door. It was obvious from his movements that he was completely stoned and most likely drunk as well. _

_" Kevin mate, how are ya?" he slurred, blocking his way. Kevin pushed past him, but before he got far, there was the call of several female voices from the room behind, calling Tom back to bed. From the sound of it he had the whole cheerleading squad in there, lucky bastard! _

_ Kevin turned and had a proper look at him. His hair was a mess, and he was standing in the doorway, in only his boxers. There were lipstick smears all over his body and the smell of melted chocolate was wafting across the hall. Before Kevin could say anything, at least 4 pairs of manicured hands slipped around his chest and pulled him back into the room, closing the door. "Tom Thompson super stud" he thought and laughed, Tom could get as many girls as he wanted pregnant, and there was always a queue of more waiting for their five minutes of fame (and quick shag). Josh was the same but he was just not interested. Maybe when he finally gets his head straight thought Kevin, more serious now. He walked past Tom's room where all sorts of odd noise's where once again coming from and headed into Josh's. _

_It was empty! The housekeeper had said he was up here, there was a MCR CD playing and the T.V was on but no Josh. Kevin was about to leave and go and track down his insane friend when he noticed the bathroom light was on and the door ajar._

_Taking another breath to steady himself, Kevin pushed the door open and stepped in…Josh was seated on the bathroom floor with the contents of his toiletry cupboard spread on the floor around him, just like Kevin often did when he needed to find a new tube of toothpaste or something. In fact he was reminded of that very morning when he had ripped his cupboard off the wall by mistake in his annoyance about the disappearance of his razor. _

_The difference with this scene, was that a razor was on the floor in front of Josh, laying in a pool of dark red blood, the same blood that Kevin had seen smeared on the walls and furniture too many times before. Josh had followed the dark voices in his head once again, and Kevin had to think to himself, was the bright, happy go lucky prankster he had known as a child ever going to be reinstalled permanently into the hollow shell that had been his friend since the death of his mother?_


	7. Behind those baby blue eyes

_**Behind those baby **_

_**Blue eyes.**_

Kevin once again had an urge to scream at Josh. So many times they had been through this and every-time it was Kevin that had to "pick up the pieces" so to speak. It wasn't Josh's fault though, Josh's father and uncle couldn't care less about him, and Kevin would be surprised to discover if they even knew he existed. Tom on the other hand was even worse. He knew well enough that Josh was alive; the problem was he just couldn't care less. He was too busy with his own life to bother about Josh's. To him, the sex, drugs and his father's attention were much more interesting.

Kevin once again found himself thinking how glad he was that Josh wasn't into all the white powders, tablets and funny plants that Tom made a point of openly enjoying and sharing around as if they cost nothing. It might have made these rages and moments of losing his mind even more deadly. Tom had his father's affection and he had the brain of a businessman (when he wasn't stoned or drunk). In his fathers eyes he was the perfect son and he didn't give a dam about the other son, the son that had been so much a mother's boy, the son who her sudden death had affected so greatly. If he knew about the self-harm, he didn't say anything, but most likely thought Kevin, he had no idea.

However, one look at his friend sitting on the floor, with his face screwed up in pain and the tears falling down his handsome face and the urge to scream was forgotten.

Finally Josh registered that someone had entered the room and looked up, his bright blue eyes flashing with the hatred he felt for the world. He wasn't there. Josh Thompson was lost somewhere behind those eyes. At the moment all that was there was the soul of a mad man, someone driven mad by grief.

Kevin resisted the urge to turn and run from that demented gaze and crouched in front of him, staring into the tormented eyes.

"Josh can you hear me?" The eyes blinked rapidly fighting back the surges of tears. "Come on Josh, snap out of it!" suddenly there was a flash of recognition and Kevin made a mistake. He relaxed. Suddenly, without warning, Josh threw himself at Kevin, his hands clasped at his throat. Today the demons of his mind had a stronger grip; they were not giving up and releasing his mind without a fight!


	8. Realization dawns

**Realization **

**Dawns **

Josh was tall and muscular, the force of his weight mixed with the momentum of his push had both boys tumbling backwards, a short flight that ended suddenly as Kevin twisted in the air at the last second and Josh's head smashed into the bathroom wall, knocking him unconscious.

Kevin lay there breathing heavily. This was not the first time this had happened and more importantly, unless Josh was helped fast, it wouldn't be the last.

Slowly he stood up and looked around him. The bathroom was a mess, blood everywhere and various toiletries lying around at odd angles on the floor. Staring down at the mess Kevin realized what had set his friend off this time, lying broken on the floor was a bottle of perfume. Josh's mum's perfume. The same scent that hung around the bathroom now had once hung over her as she had enveloped both Josh and Kevin in her embrace. She had been a second mother to him for years; he had called her "Auntie Rachel" for as long as he could remember. Kevin felt the tears coming, burning his eyes and blurring his vision, but he must fight it, for Josh's sake.

Without a word he began to clear up the mess and open the large window to clear the air of that beautiful but deadly scent. As the last splatter of blood was wiped up Josh's eyes began to flutter open and he groaned. Kevin was at his side in a moment. Josh looked up at him with those same clear blue eyes, but now all the hatred was gone and he was just a scared 16 year old with a lump on his head and several new scars on his already ravaged wrists.

"Shit, what just happened?" he asked as he tried to sit up. He took in the clean bathroom, the open window and finally looked down at his still bleeding wrists. "Fuck!!" he said quietly as the realization of what he had just done to himself again finally dawned. More to the point what he had just done to Kevin. "Shit I'm so sorry Kev! I don't know what makes it happen but it got set off. I'm trying to keep it locked in a cage but it got out…"

"Forget about it" Kevin butted in, "Why didn't anyone come? How long were you sitting there before I arrived? Why didn't Tom come a help you?"

At this Josh looked at Kevin and laughed.

"Are you mad? He's busy shagging the school cheerleading squad, you must have heard it, I came in hear to find some earplugs, the music wasn't blotting him and his antics out"


	9. please come with me

**Please come with**

**Me!**

Josh looked up and his friend and frowned. There was blood trickling down his throat.

"What have I done?" he said in panic and Kevin put a hand up to his neck. Then he laughed in a shakily.

"It's your blood, not mine." Josh visibly relaxed and slumped against the wall.

"What can I do to make it up to you, you're always there when this happens and no matter how many wall I throw you into you keep coming back. You clean up the rooms clean me up and even cover any damage I cause."

They both looked guiltily at the strategically placed black rug on the floor. It had been hurriedly brought from a charity shop by Kevin to cover a stain that just wouldn't shift no matter how hard they both scrubbed at it. They put the rug down to stop the maids finding the stain. They were all worried about Master Josh, but they didn't know about the self-harm. They would panic, especially Lucy, she had looked after Josh since he was a babe in arms, and this news would kill her.

"What are you doing tonight?" asked Josh suddenly. Kevin shrugged, he had no plans. "How do you feel about a night on the town? Tom's taking me clubbing at the "Alley Cat" in London, it's a casino/nightclub. All your drinks are on me and I'll buy you into as many poker games as you want to play." Seeing Kevin's expression, he hurriedly gabbled " please mate, not to pay you back but to keep me sain, Tom's gonna get a different girl every second and I'm going to be standing there like a prat! Please come! It's good gambling and hot waitresses if you're into that kind of thing" they both grinned "You can even crash in my bed and I'll sleep on the floor if you come"

"Well that settles it then" said Kevin with a laugh, "A night in the explosion that is Josh's bed, God I can hardly contain my excitement." They both laughed.

"Hey! That's not fair," said Josh in mock annoyance, "lots of girls would kill to spend the night in my bed" Kevin laughed, he had to agree.

"Yes, but only with you in it and no clothes involved, if you get my drift."

"True" Josh agreed.

"Speaking of you and girls, I'll come with you on one condition; you have to promise to get of with at least one girl"

"Odd request, are you going to tell me the reasoning?"

"I'm fed up with you turning down all the hot girls at school and then everyone asking if we are gay together!

"Oh aren't we?" said Josh with a maddening grin, Kevin never knew when he was playing his bluff.

"Hate to disappoint mate, but you don't turn me on"

"Dam!" said Josh with a laugh, then he paused and considered for a moment.

"Fine I'll do it if you do the same, I'm fed up with you not having a girlfriend. If you did people wouldn't ask"

"Done, However, I think we should get you cleaned up, you're going to ruin your bathroom again."


	10. Extra strong

**Extra strong**

**Novelty pack.**

Back in London, MI6 HQ

"Right then" said Smithers. "All we need to do now is sort out your uniforms for tonight." Cassie smothered a laugh. "What's so funny about uniforms?" asked Smithers inquiringly, raising his eyebrows.

"We're going to the Alley Cat right?" Smithers nodded. "Then why the hell do we need uniforms? The dress code for staff is black. If you're a girl, you have to wear a skirt and it has to be well above your knee, preferably with a garter on show as well. Trust me I've been there before."

Smithers and Steven exchanged worried glances then,

"Don't worry" said Cassie with a condescending smile, "I had dark hair at the time," They still looked uncomfortable about it so Alex changed the subject back to the dress code,

"I can do that no problem, when are we leaving?"

" In about half an hour, but you need to get dressed here and then you will be driven there by cab as me and Jack need to meet each other for the first time and then go and act out moving in together as lovers." Steven answered. But even he, an accomplished spy, could not hide the fact that this first stage of the mission was worrying him. If he and Jack did not get on, the mission would be very hard to pull off and may even need to be aborted completely.

Cassie gave him a small hug and set off for the doors, and presumably the toilets or an empty office to change in, but Smithers called her back.

"Hang on a mo; I haven't finished your equipment yet. You're both going to be issued with surveillance equipment tomorrow, but I have some extra stuff for you Cassie," he reached into a desk draw and passed a small cardboard cube across the table to her, as she examined it, looking from the box to Smithers's bright red face. He continued looking in his draw until he found a black rucksack and passed it across as well.

"Those," indicating the box "are extra strong so they should remain intact unless you get very rough," Cassie laughed. " They are also a novelty, and I think the genre will appeal to your and your target, if I remember rightly, skulls, barbed wire, and cobwebs in that pack, there are several more packs in the bag along with several more items ' for your enjoyment'." His face was now an amazing shade of beetroot, and Cassie suppressed a grin at his uncomfort. She riffled through the bag for a moment and gasped in surprise or pleasure a few times. She brought out a pair of black fluffy handcuffs, decorated with skulls of course and a matching black corset and suspender set.

"Where did you get all this stuff. It's amazing! I've never seen it before. You have to take me shopping when you next go!"

"Yes…um…well…" stuttered Smithers. He wasn't happy about this put he had his instructions. "Hurry up and go and get dressed then the pair of you; the taxi will be out side soon.

Nothing could have prepared Alex for the sight of Cassie in the correct dress for working at the Alley Cat. She looked stunning.

_She was wearing all black as she has promised, but the black knee high boots; fishnet tights, tiny skirt and black lace garter did nothing to conceal her great body. The shirt was fitted and showed her excellent shape and this paired with her blonde hair, blue eyes and black eyeliner would make any male observer lose his breath. Alex doubted there would be a single warm-blooded male in the club that was not turned on by her. She had even covered her only blemish; she was wearing a pair of black lace gloves that covered her forearms completely. The scars were as good as invisible._

"_Poor sod" thought Alex to himself as he looked at her; " Josh doesn't stand a chance."_

_There was a call from reception to say the cab was ready and Cassie swallowed one of her special pills and put the dark glasses on. She was ready._


	11. Emma

Emma

The Alley cat, was exactly what it said on the tin so to speak, a casino/night-club in central London. But there was one major difference between the Alley cat and the hundreds of other clubs that littered the streets of London. The Alley cat was a club for the super rich. Entry alone would cost you the best part of 300 pounds, and drinks, exclusive VIP seats and buy ins were paid on top of that. If you could swing a job, and put up with the perverts touching your arse, it was very good money for waiters/waitresses. All this Cassie explained to Alex in the cab through the crowded streets of London.

By the time they arrived, Alex was very interested to see the inside of the club, but ever so slightly anxious of the kind of clientele this place would attract. People with money, are always more dangerous and as Alex had learnt from past experiences, very bad losers.

The entrance hall of the club was posh to say the least, with velvet carpets, crystal chandeliers and two burly bouncers on either side of the door. Obviously to keep the party under control.

Cassie ignored all this and went through another set of doors into the bar area. They were early and none of the customers had arrived yet. The place seemed eerily quiet without the loud music, roll of the dice and drunken noise that he was used to experiencing in these kinds of places. He wished someone would say something. Then there was a sudden crash from next door, and he got his wish…

"_Cassie! Is that really you? Bloody Hell! I thought you were dead!" Alex ran through the door in to the bar just in time to see Cassie embraced by a tearful girl, with cropped white blonde hair and smudged eye make-up. As he came in the girl pulled away and glared at Cassie. _

"_Was it really so hard just to get someone to pick up the dam PHONE! The last I heard you were rushed to hospital with severe blood loss and in desperate need of your stomach being pumped!" here the girl broke off and wiped furiously at her eyes. "No-one knew, or would tell me if you were ok! What was I supposed to think? Friends for 12 tears and I don't even warrant a phone call to know you survived!" Cassie at least had the grace to look embarrassed, whether or not that was because of her guilt, or the fact he was in the room Alex had no idea. She just stood there and took the abuse hurled at her, and then hugged the girl again, letting their tears mingle._

_Finally, they broke apart and both their eyes turned on Alex._

_The girl appraised him openly, letting her eyes linger on his torso. Then she raised her eyebrows and turned to Cassie._

"_New boy friend?" she asked, Cassie shook her head. "Client? Pimp? Toyboy? Sex toy? Portable dildo? Walking wallet?" Cassie laughed, still shaking her head. But she couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze. Maybe she was as embarrassed as he was. After a brief pause in which the girl's eyes darted between the pair of them, Cassie drew a breath and looked at Alex._

"_Sorry about that Alex, this is Emma. Emma this is Alex, his mum's moving in with Steven. My new brother I suppose in the eyes of the law."_

"_Shit…you do pick em don't you? When are you gonna have a normal life?" she paused letting her words sink in, "Jeez, you look good, but how long is that gonna last before you lose it again?" there was no sarcasm or spite in either Emma's voice or her eyes, she was worried._

"_I'll be fine" Cassie snapped. "But I need your help."_

"_Who is it?" Emma asked without hesitation. "Who have you got to get close to this time?"_

"_What do you know about the Thompson brothers?"_


	12. Sorry I'm gay

_**Sorry, I'm gay.**_

_The Bar was packed. Alex could hardly make his way through the mass of people and back to the bar with his tray of empty glasses. Ignoring the smiling brunette, Alex finally elbowed his way to the bar and met Cassie's amused gaze._

"_What's so funny?" he asked slightly annoyed. After all, all she had to do was stand behind the bar and fill glasses. Not exactly taxing. Alex was hot, tired and his arse was beginning to bruise with all the squeezes it was getting, to make matters worse, it was nearly mid-night, and Tom and Josh still hadn't shown. Maybe MI6 had got the night wrong. He was not in the mood to be laughed at._

"_The look on that girls face when you blanked her. She was gutted. Maybe you should try a polite "No thank you I'm gay" next time. Then you might get a tip" _

_Emma chose this moment to return to the bar as well._

"_No! Then he'd have all the guys after him as well." They both laughed at Alex's expression. Then Emma clicked her fingers._

"_I've got it. You had a very severe case of testicular cancer; all your manly bits had to be removed to stop the spread."_

"_True. Then you'd only have to fight of nerds and lesbians." Added Cassie helpfully._

"_Ha-ha" Alex turned and scanned the bar once again and then the casino area. They were still not here. _

"_Relax! The real party animals don't hit the clubs until oneish. We still have plenty of time." Cassie said seeing his gaze._

_Alex looked at her, and then with out a word handed over his tray of glasses and note pad. When she raised her eyebrows, he muttered something about needing some fresh air. _

"_I'll join you" Emma said and she led him to the back door. Cassie watched them go with an amused expression took a deep breath and headed out onto the floor with the shots for table thirteen balanced expertly on one hand. She had done this for years. What difference would one evening make to her reputation? _

_She smiled at the memory of Alex's face when she had asked for change from a hundred. He was shocked enough to comply and had the decency to look away when she lifted her leg onto the bar and secured the notes inside her garter. _

_Hey she made money doing this. Men were all the same. Give them a smile and a flash of leg; they'll do anything for you. "Oh well" she thought as she wound her way across the room, "here we go again." _

_***_

_Alex gulped a huge lung full of air out side the back doors and then leaned back against the wall._

"_How'd you cope with it for so long?" He asked Emma as she followed him through the door._

"_You can do anything if you need the money or the distraction bad enough." She replied with out looking at him. She fished into the pocket of her tiny apron and took a pack of chewing gun out. She broke one from its seal and popped it into her mouth, visibly relaxing._

"_Can I have one?" Alex asked, "My mouth is disgusting, the air tastes of smoke!" Emma laughed, but shook her head._

"_You can't have these. Full of nicotine and other shit." She put the pack back and took out another. "Have one of them."_

_Alex took it gratefully and chewed, spreading the minty taste around his mouth._

"_You try to quit smoking then? Good for you." She raised her eyebrows, and laughed quietly._

"_If I was smart I would never have started. It makes you smell and taste worse than in there," she indicated the bar behind, "Your may as well pay an assassin to kill you, its quicker, and probably cheaper in the long run. But there you go. We all have different ways of handling grief, stress and so on."_

"_What like Cassie's self harm?" Alex could have kicked himself. Why did he say that? To his surprise, Emma answered._

"_Exactly like it. We both experimented with another method, but it was dangerous, expensive, and most of the time a very unpleasant experience. So we found something else."_

"_And you think its better?" _

"_Who am I to judge? Cassie won't touch cigarettes or anything like that; the cutting was her way out. Personally I hate blood, so it would be no god to me, but then again I don't have a monkey like her." here she broke off, embarrassed. Then she took a deep breath, and looked Alex straight in the eye.  
"Can I trust you?" she allowed him to nod and carried on, "will you promise me that you will keep an eye on Cassie. She says she's turning a corner, but I'm scared the Thompsons are gonna ruin it all. They combine her to worst nightmares. The two things she's beaten to get this far, and she's got to fight them again." Abruptly she turned to go, ashamed of her outburst. But Alex had one more question._

"_What method did you both try before?" Emma did not turn and Alex thought she wasn't going to answer, but then she surprised him again._

"_Sex. Lots of it on a regular basis. Then I needed an abortion and we both made a vow to stop. But old habits die hard."_

"_That's why the Thompsons scare you." Alex remembered Emma's words from earlier. "Sex crazed", and "Suicidal" had been the phrases used to describe the brothers._

"_Exactly" murmured Emma. "Which ever way she turns, she is at a dead end. She can't win!"_


	13. Sugar we're going down

_**Sugar, we're going down.**_

The occupants of table thirteen were five shots and 150 quid down when Alex and Emma returned. Alex couldn't help but notice that Cassie's garter was bulging ever so slightly, but she was smiling and playing the flirty date for all she was worth. Although the sight made him uncomfortable, he could not see an immanent danger. He turned away, and collided with a tall, dark man beginning to grey at the temples. Alex apologised and tried to move on, thinking no more about it. The man was ignoring him any way. His eyes were focused on table thirteen. And then he smiled. Alex had no idea why, but the smile made him shiver despite the hot room.

"Hey sugar!" he called, "I knew I'd see you again." He elbowed Alex out of the way and put his arms around Cassie's waist from behind.

"_Aren't you pleased to see me baby?" he asked with a mocking smile. Cassie stiffened and pulled away from him, but the man held on tight, slipping his left hand under her shirt._

"_Come on honey, you remember me." He continued in a soft voice that made the hair on the back of Alex's neck stand on end. He bent his head and kissed he cheek softly. She wriggled away from him again, more violently this time._

"_Sorry sir." She said quietly. "I think you've got the wrong person. I don't know you!" _

_The man smiled again and his hand left her waist and slide down to the hem of her skirt. _

"_Oh you remember me darling. How could you not? I remember you so well, you haven't changed a bit." The hand was under her skirt now, and Alex couldn't bear it any more. He stepped forward to intervene. But then the man made a mistake._

"_Come on now Cass…"_

_The man had no chance to finish his sentence. Cassie had spun, stuck him in the temple with her left elbow, then her right palm had smashed into his nose, breaking it and making blood spurt all over the guy's shirt._

_He released her, but she wasn't finished yet. With one swift, flowing movement, she jammed her right knee into his groin and hit him hard in the solar plexus with a spear hand strike. As he fell groaning to the floor, she repeated "I'm sorry. I don't know you."_

_The man looked up at her in confusion. _

"_But Ca…" once again she didn't allow him to finish. With a knuckle to the point in the temple, she knocked him cold. He slumped onto the floor at her feet._

_Only then did Alex realise the room had become silent. _


End file.
